Tivo HD software updates....

I'm wondering if Tivo HD software updates have been or are scheduled to be End of Lived?

I've read conflicting answers on this question and was curious to see if any knew of a definitive answer.

what prompts this question is my HD has bugling caps and i am looking to replace them and expand the drive from 1gb to 2 gb. However if this investment is not worth it (i'm on a monthly not a lifetime) i would consider getting a premiere 4 and just upgrading the drive on my own.

The last software release for the S3 boxes was 11.0K released around March 2011, and it was basically a minimal bugfix release at that. I'm not exactly holding my breath waiting for another update any time soon. In contrast, software version 20.2.2.1 has just been released for the Premier boxes, which TiVo is still actively developing software for. If it were me, I would just replace a capacitor plagued S3 with a Premier if I didn't have a lifetime sub.

FWIW, you can get a Premier for as cheap as ~$50 at tivo.com (with one year commitment).

Did not know that, I've always had lifetime subs... What is the monthly cost for an S3?

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Unless it has changed in the last few months it's $12.95/mo or there was a yearly plan for $129. Based on that, $14.95/mo for a Premiere sub doesn't look too bad, given Premiere plans have often been $20/mo. in the past.

The S3 does get updates for things like remote control codes (even my S2 got one) but that does not get reflected in the firmware version number you see. As for options, you might see if you qualify for the MSD price on a new Premiere. After that, you can call Tivo and cancel the sub on the S3 and they may offer you $99 lifetime on it. With repaired caps and lifetime, the box should sell for around $300 so it would be worth the investment.

...If it were me, I would just replace a capacitor plagued S3 with a Premier ....

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That's in my current plans. My original S3 (purchased the day they were released) is starting to show signs of age (vertical banding, a few random reboots), so I'm saving my pennies for a Premiere. If it lasts long enough, I may be able to hold out for the next hardware update. But I'm not holding my breath...

....And I have read of people paying full price for a Premiere and being able to transfer an existing monthy service to it.

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Not possible, if you're going from an S3 to a Premiere. They're forcing you to jump fro $12.95/mo to $14.99/mo. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with a rep inquiring about this. I'm paying $12.95 with an S3, and was told if I get a Premiere, I have to pay $14.99...

I've been pretty happy with the tivo software as is, is there a considerable upside to the software on the premieres?

also i know that is not the right place for the question but is upgrading preimere hard drives as easy as the upgrading the tivohd?

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Most of what you probably want to use acts pretty much the same in the Premeire. It does have an HD mode for the menus which some folks like but others (like me) prefer the old SD mode. As for hard drive updating, it is more difficult only because there is no saved image you can use. You must use the JMFS tool (see the Upgrade Forum) and you must have a working Premeire hard drive to copy to the new drive.

Not possible, if you're going from an S3 to a Premiere. They're forcing you to jump fro $12.95/mo to $14.99/mo. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with a rep inquiring about this. I'm paying $12.95 with an S3, and was told if I get a Premiere, I have to pay $14.99...

That's in my current plans. My original S3 (purchased the day they were released) is starting to show signs of age (vertical banding, a few random reboots), so I'm saving my pennies for a Premiere. If it lasts long enough, I may be able to hold out for the next hardware update. But I'm not holding my breath...

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Your S3 problems may be fixable with about $10 (or less) spent on capacitors for the power supply.

Your S3 problems may be fixable with about $10 (or less) spent on capacitors for the power supply.

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I realize that...but the S3's sluggishness is also starting to bug me....even my TiVo HD seems snappy compared to the S3. That, plus the software is updated for the Premiere, and, with the Premiere 4 costing just north of two bills, it just may be time. My S3 is monthly, so it wouldn't be a huge deal...

I realize that...but the S3's sluggishness is also starting to bug me....even my TiVo HD seems snappy compared to the S3. That, plus the software is updated for the Premiere, and, with the Premiere 4 costing just north of two bills, it just may be time. My S3 is monthly, so it wouldn't be a huge deal...

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If you get an S4 of some kind, make them give you lifetime on the S3 for $99.

TiVo doesn't announce when they've stopped updating older models; that's just a conclusion we have to draw from observation. When the "latest and greatest" software starts getting features that aren't added to the software for earlier platforms, despite there being no apparent hardware barrier to prevent the addition of those features, that's when I draw that conclusion. That point passed long ago for the Series 3, and is even further past for the older models.

If the motherboard is still good, then lifetiming it for $99 makes sense.

If it's an original S3 (TCD648250), with the separate crypto chip which can be moved to another 648 motherboad, bringing the TiVo Service Number with it, then for someone who can do that themselves it might be worth it.

If it's an S3 HD (TCD652160) or HD XL (TCD658000), then the crypto chip is incorporated into another chip and you can forget about successfully moving it to another motherboard.

Most likely the problem is the power supply or hard drive or both rather than the motherboard, but it's not absolutely impossible that the motherboard is bad, so you need to diagnose things before committing any major $$$$

Upgrading an S4 drive means copying the original (so you need a good original) at the byte for byte level.

That's what comer's jmfs uses

ddrescue

for.

Then it uses whatever voodoo comer came up with to add a single MFS media partition into the extra space on the target drive.

(and as soon as you've confirmed it works in the TiVo you need to take the original drive and put it someplace safe)

Upgrading the S3 HD and HD XL can be done with comer's jmfs but the traditional WinMFS and MFS Live can also be used, where they couldn't with an S4.

in this case i believe the drive was damaged by the ps going bad. i swapped to a new ATX PS and it just sits at the welcome screen. i tried changing drive cables and ps's to know working ones to no avail. if i had an Image for the TCD652160 i could put it on a spare 640 hd and confirm that.

in this case i believe the drive was damaged by the ps going bad. i swapped to a new ATX PS and it just sits at the welcome screen. i tried changing drive cables and ps's to know working ones to no avail. if i had an Image for the TCD652160 i could put it on a spare 640 hd and confirm that.

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Do you mean you're powering the hard drive with a PC supply, or the entire TiVo with one?